CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Charlotte Hornets reserve Spencer Hawes suffered a sprained MCL in his right knee and will miss Friday's Game 6 against the Miami Heat, the team announced Thursday afternoon.
The Hornets said Hawes will be reevaluated in a week, which means he is likely out for the rest of the first-round series. Game 7, if necessary, would be Sunday at Miami.
Hornets coach Steve Clifford said Friday that Hawes suffered the injury after someone "rolled under" him on a rebound in the fourth quarter of the Hornets' Game 5 win. Hawes didn't come out but limped up the court thereafter.
"He's gonna be out for a few days," Clifford said.
In his first season with the Hornets after being traded from the Los Angeles Clippers, Hawes appeared in 57 games in the regular season and averaged 6.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 18.2 minutes per game.
Hawes, now in his ninth season after being drafted 10th overall in 2007, is averaging 3.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 0.6 assists in 10.6 minutes a game in the playoffs. His playing time has steadily risen to 16 and 15 minutes the past two games.
The Hornets lead the series 3-2. They will use the same starting lineup in Game 6 -- comprised of Kemba Walker, Courtney Lee, Marvin Williams, Frank Kaminsky and Al Jefferson -- and Clifford said Nicolas Batum, Cody Zeller and Kaminsky could all see more minutes as a result.
